The Federal Railroad Administration is set to spend $45 million to study three magnetic levitation train projects in Baltimore and Washington, Pittsburgh, and between Atlanta and Chattanooga, Tenn. With Amtrak and our ATC in a constant budget squeeze, do we really need this?
Given our national transportation infrastructure funding deficits, the air traffic control system and the Acela would be a far better investment for these millions of dollars. Let’s get the traditional trains we have repaired and the iron rails we have improved to carry passenger service where it is already established and has right-of-way. Rattling commuter lines could use plenty of help in almost every American metropolitan area.
Having a maglev train that can travel between Washington, DC, and Baltimore in 15 minutes sounds nice, but with stops along the way, the ultimate schedules will only end up shaving minutes off the current rail links if they have the funding and permitting needed.
Plus, this latest maglev train funding will only take the project through the Final Environmental Impact Statement and won’t deal with technology as I understand the grant. We have other transportation needs and ongoing projects in place that have already been fully vetted through the EPA and local environmental mazes.
Trains have been tested in Japan and China and have reached high speeds, however, they are really point to point solutions, not commuter solutions. Yes, they are elegant and fast, but not practical.
The German Transrapid maglev project has been tested and demonstrated for years. Here is a video of their experience. There has been lots of testing, but no commercial line constructed yet in Europe. A recent maglev train proposed and approved to link Munich with its airport has been canceled because of financial shortfalls.
Here in the USA project proponents face far more than only the budgetary hurdles. This isn’t the time to shuffle money away from real needs to chase the maglev dream.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s tempting to say we don’t need newer forms of transportation between Washington and Baltimore because they’re too expensive, or untested in commercial service in Europe, but this is not just a short-distance situation. The idea behind the B-W maglev project has always been to plan for the longer-term future of today’s Northeast Corridor connecting Washington, New York and Boston. Regional and Acela trains service includes lots of cities in between the NEC endpoints — connections that are useful to some daily commuters, too, I’ll bet.
It’s also conceivable that a southern corridor connecting Washington to Richmond, Raleigh, Atlanta and parts south might be a useful corridor to consider as well.
Just because things look bleak for now doesn’t mean we should stop thinking about possibilities for the future.
This is one of the propositions in California. The government is trying to get funding to study whether it’s feasible to put a high-speed rail line between San Francisco/Oakland/Sacramento to Southern California.
If it’s approved and if it ever gets built, it’ll be interesting as to what it does to the airline industry.
Heck, we need to be looking at increasing what rail service we do have and making it more reliable. There are huge stretches of the US where rail service is limited at best, and is frequently delayed because the passenger service has to give way to freight trains.
Laurence, your statement that “Just because things look bleak for now doesn’t mean we should stop thinking about possibilities for the future,” is true.
That being said, I think Charlie makes a good point about the use of ever shrinking resources for rail that continues to horribly underfunded. We are in for some tough years in which our government needs to not just start balancing the budget, but reducing the out of control debt the last eight years of spending has caused.
Just take a look at Acela as an example of why we need to look at why other projects to spend money on might be wiser, if we want to really improve rail in the US, rather than Maglev. Consider why that train is stuck traveling at an average speed of 86mph, and why on my trip home from NYC to PHL last week, it took 1hour and 7 minutes to go the 90 miles. It has nothing to do with Acela technology.
It mostly has to do with right of way, not technology. Acela’s route has a monster advantage over many other Amtrak train routes. At least from Boston through Washington, DC most of the track is owned by Amtrak and they have the right of way instead of freight trains, plus it’s completely electrified. After that, we start to note the serious problems, problems Maglev won’t cure, in my opinion.
First, in the right of way, south of New York City, the tracks are so close together that the train carriages can’t safely tilt while maintaining FRA minimum space between locomotives on parallel tracks. The path between Washington and Boston has extremely expensive land, and therefore to widen the right of way would be enormously expensive. Regardless, much of the right of way also has significant physical limitations. Then there are the bridges and tunnels. One of the major impediments has been the tunnel between NJ and NYC. It has had only two tracks available. At last we are getting close to having the new tunnel so four tracks will be available.
Rather than testing Maglev, we would be better looking toward TGV trains which need no testing, and we would spend our money better in my opinion by improving right of way for Amtrak, so we can actually use new technology. I have used the TGV trains in Europe many times and think they would fit in our country nicely.
Laurence, you mentioned, “southern corridor connecting Washington to Richmond, Raleigh, Atlanta.” Wouldn’t that be great. We can dramatically improve the southern corridor and tie it into the northeast corridor to get great travel up and down the east coast, just by electrifying the right of way. I go from PHL to Richmond regularly by Amtrak. Electrifying the route would immediately drop a half hour from the trip, without even using the electric locomotive to go faster, by eliminating the time consuming locomotive change in Washington. Overall speed would go up too via electric locomotive, and probably help to shave an hour off the total trip of PHL to Richmond by electrifying, just like the trip time between PHL and Harrisburg was dramatically shortened by electrifying that route.
I’m all for new technology, and know we have to keep looking forward, but I want us to be realistic about it. Maglev would be fabulous, but can we afford it, and is the expense per mile worth it, compared to other technologies?
Ned, you bring up some thorny issues associated with improving service along the Northeast Corridor — limited right of way, constraints on bridge and tunnel passages, for example — that are difficult to improve without significant infusions of funds. No argument there.
My view is that we should attempt, over time, to overlay maglev-style service along the NEC to improve trip times and service options. For instance, let maglev service the “express” connections such as the Acela Express does today, and relegate Acela to the role of a regional system. How would this happen? Good question.
We found in examining the Baltimore-Washington corridor several years ago that a maglev could have an 18-minute trip time, hitting almost 260 mph between New Carrollton and BWI, while staying in the current Amtrak right of way due to maglev’s technical performance features. If we look further to the north and consider getting to New York and Boston along the same ROW we might find some interesting trip times emerging, too. Not to mention the less-obvious environmental advantages in reduced noise, vibration and unhealthy electromagnetic fields.
Let’s face it: I’m a maglev proponent, so spending money on upgrading Amtrak or importing TGVs or ICE trains from Europe doesn’t appeal to me. The improvements to be gained will be minimal as long as the existing right of way constraints remain unaddressed (as you stress). In the process of resolving these ROW constraints, all I ask is that maglev be given a chance to compete with high-speed rail systems and let’s see which one gives the most bang for the buck in the end.
Re: Do we need a Maglev train from to DC to Baltimore?
As a Tennessean, living in Gallatin.TN, just a 30 mile trip to Nashville. I read with interest, your comments on Maglev for this area.
The Governor of this State ( Phil Bredesen ) was on a ” Bringing jobs to Tennessee ” mission to China a few months ago. He rode the Maglev there, and came back here all ” Warm and fuzzy underneath ” with the prospects that Maglev is what we need to link Nashville to Atlanta via Chattanooga.
They have already spent $1.3 million on a study for this nonsense, which would incur a monumental amount of funding to complete. There are 2 proposals for the journey through Monteagle mountain. First a single tunnel through for the Maglev, then another with 2 tunnels. One for Maglev and one for trucks etc. Probably a 15 year completion job.
The last thing we need here, is to waste money on his ” pie in the sky ” dream. What we need here, is the return of regular Amtrak or a privatized company such as Virgin Rail in the UK, to get us back into rail travel here. Most people from other States and countries I run into, have asked,” Where can a catch a train ? ” after they arrive here in Nashville. My answer sadly, is 250 miles from here ! Either Atlanta or Memphis. They are shocked ( especially ) the overseas visitors, that we have no rail service here. The 250 miles to them, is like having to drive to Paris from London, just to catch a train!
A regular rail service, running around 70-80mph, would be more than sufficient for this area. The ride from downtown Nashville to Atlanta would take under 4 hours, in comfort and also would allow us to work and relax on the journey. Under 4 hours would be a major advance here, as having to get to the airport here 2 hours ahead of departure, is no joke. A typical journey time for me from Gallatin to the airport to Atlanta, is 45 minutes driving time + 2 hours ahead of departure time waste,just to go through the dreaded TSA, then IF the plane takes off on time, and IF it’s 1 hour flight,and IF there is a time slot in Atlanta for landing, and IF there are no major traffic problems in the drive to Atlanta city center, I will get to Atlanta about 4.5+ hours after leaving home.
The alternative, would be a 30 minute drive into Nashville city center ( Union Station ) now a hotel, park the car and take a 3+ hour train ride in total comfort, and be in Atlanta city center around the same time or less than flying, and I might add, at 1/2 the cost of flying.
This is not rocket science. We had the Amtrak Floridian come through here, and some moron decided it didn’t pay, so they cut that out in 1976.
My wife and decided we wanted to try Amtrak 3 weeks ago. We had to fly to Chicago ( what a waste of time that was ) then board the Southwest Chief, for the most relaxing ride of our lives to Los Angeles. It would have been so much more convenient to catch a train right here in Nashville………..
There again ” Ours is not to reason why ”
They will spend millions on this crazy dream of Maglev, then after spending all of that money, will eventually return to the novel idea of steel rails and regular trains……..
Maglev, what a waste of money !!
Mr. Miller, with all due respect, given the passenger travel levels in the Nashville area, I’d guess only die-hard rail fans would be willing to accept “…regular rail service, running around 70-80mph, [which] would be more than sufficient… ” to connect with cities such as Atlanta and Los Angeles.
You might view maglev as a “crazy dream,” but speaking as one who has experienced it in person many times I can say it is indeed the future of ground transportation. Whether we in the States take advantage of it or not is up to us.
Thanks so much Laurence for your insightful comments. Maglev is the way to go for our country. Not that we would start ripping track across the nation and installing maglev all over, but as track is re-routed or replaced, I say it should be done with maglev. This will ease the transition period of establish maglev routes. I also skimmed the arguments, but didn’t notice anyone talk about maglev’s lack of moving parts – which will greatly reduce maintenance; or the fact that maglev trains are much less affected by weather conditions than our current rail system. Just some food for thought.
Charlie.
Good points there.
We live 30 miles N.E of Nashville.TN. TDOT and the Governor, have already ” dumped ” ” Squandered ” over $1.3 million on the Maglev project from Nashville to Chattanooga, to connect to the proposed Atlanta to Chattanooga. This money as far as most of us are concerned, is a total waste of funding, and all it does is keep the consultants pockets full. The project from this end ( Nashville ) is a monumental one. Twin tunnels would have to be bored through Monteagle, one for road vehicles and the other for the Maglev. Environmental problems will more than likely kill it off, and the most likely figure for such a system would be in the 10′s of Billions. You can drive to Chattanooga in 2 hours and Atlanta in 4 hours, about 1/2 of the time of the Maglev proposed.
What we desperately need here, is the return of Amtrak. At present, the nearest stations to Nashville are Memphis and Atlanta.GA. Both 250 miles away. That requires a 4 hour trip to any of those stations by car, bus or airline. My wife and decided to take a train trip 2 months ago. Because of the distance to either of those stations and the fact we were going to ride the Southwest Chief to Los Angeles for Chicago, we decided to fly to Chicago. IF we had Amtrak here, and could connect with either of the Atlanta or Memphis by regular Amtrak service. Not Maglev, but anything resembling the Southwest Chief, we would think that we had died and gone to heaven here.
A regular Amtrak train on steel rails, would go from downtown Nashville to Atlanta via Chattanooga ( and other stations ) in under 4 hours at 70mph. City center to city center !
Flying from Nashville, requires getting to the airport 2 hours early. TSA ( Hell ) hoping the flight leaves on time for the scheduled 1 hour flight to Atlanta, and if there is a landing slot there, and we get there relative on time, collect our bags, we are then looking at the same time period in travel Plane versus Train.
The sheer size of seats on Amtrak, the ability to walk around inside the train,. Power outlets at each seat, a dining car and a cafe on board. These facts alone. point out the amazing benefits of rail..
For a fraction of the money already spent on planning the Maglev, we could have ” bribed ” Amtrak back here, and coordinating with the attempt of Bowling Green Kentucky and Louisville mayors, who are both looking into the return of Amtrak to their cites, we could connect directly with those and extending that to Atlanta, just like the old Floridian service.
We simply ” Cant get there from here ”
When will they wake up?
Hopefully the new administration will pump some of he infrastructure moneys to Tennessee to revive rail travel, but I’m not holding my breath. TDOT and the Governor seem to think that building more roads are far more important than rail.
Regards
Dave Miller
To Whom it may concern:
Yes, our transportation system thruout US is lousy, especially intrastate, intracity, etc. Some Facts: 31M US workers face daily commutes of at least
90 MINUTES TO WORK!!
Traffic congestion, gridlock, etc., wastes fuel of 58 SUPER TANKERS
EACH YEAR!
NUFF SAID!!!!
Len A.